The Dove and the Crow
by leslieah
Summary: When Jax meets a girl with no knowledge of the Sons of Anarchy, he decides to keep the club from her, and her from the club, until she's put in danger because of him.
1. Chapter 1

Jax pulled up to the Charming Diner, looking to grab a quick bite before meeting up with Happy and Opie to take care of some club business. He wasn't wearing his cut, just in case shit went south, but most of the people in the diner knew him. He went to the counter and sat down, ordering from the same waitress that had been there for ten years.

He looked up, and saw a new face. She was wearing a pair of jeans that hugged her curves, and a T-Shirt that said CAPS STAFF on the front. Her light brown hair had blonde highlights in it and was pulled up into a high ponytail. She had bright green eyes, and was wearing very little in the way of makeup.

She wasn't his type of girl, nowhere near a Crow Eater, but she was cute and he was bored. He got up and sat next to her, she glanced up and smiled at him, no attitude, no sexy stare, just a nice smile. "Hi." She said, her eyes flitting between him and the counter.

"Hi darling." He said, flashing a smile. "Haven't seen you around before."

"I moved here about a year ago, I haven't really had a chance to meet many people." She said with another sweet smile.

"Well, I'm Jackson, but most people call me Jax." He said, offering her a hand.

"Bethany… most people call me Beth." She responded shaking his hand. He stared at her a minute, and she bit her bottom lip; she was nothing more than a deer in the headlights. He thought about inviting her to the club tonight, but that place would eat her alive.

"So what's CAPS?" He asked, taking a drink of coffee.

"Its Charming Animal Protection Services." She told him. "The animal shelter?"

"Oh yeah? What do you do there?"

"A little bit of everything. Mostly marketing and public affairs stuff." She said, taking her check from the waitress. "What do you do?"

He thought quickly, most chicks saw his cut and knew exactly what he did, but not this girl; he wasn't immediately defined to her. "I'm a mechanic." He said simply.

She pulled out some cash, laying it on the counter in front of her, and standing up. "Well, it was nice to meet you Jackson." She said with a smile. "Maybe I'll see you around."

SOASOASOA

After finishing up their 'business' Opie and Jax sat in the clubhouse shooting pool, when Jax turned to him, "you ever wonder what it would be like to have someone who didn't know about the club, what we do?"

Opie looked up at his friend. "I don't know brother, not really."

"Everyone in this town has an opinion about the Sons, what we do, what we are. I just think it would be cool to have someone not judge me based on my cut." Jax explained.

"The cut IS who we are brother." Opie told him. "You can't separate the man from the club."

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Jax said, lining up another shot.

SOASOASOA

Jax pulled up to CAPS on the outskirt of Charming. He didn't know what he was doing here, something about the girl he met at the diner the day before that he couldn't get out of his mind. He got off his bike and, after a short hesitation, took off his cut, folding it and putting it in his bag before walking in.

An older woman was sitting behind a desk, holding a small kitten. "Are you here to adopt?" She asked, not looking up.

"No, I'm actually looking for Bethany." He said, looking around the small office area.

"Oh?" She said, finally looking up and giving Jax a once over before smiling. "She's back in her office; right through there last door on the right. Go on." She urged, pointing through a back door.

He gave her a smile and thanks, and walked through the door, down a small hallway, and knocked on her office door before opening it. She was at her computer, and a large boxer was lying next to her desk. The boxer raised his head, giving a small woof before lying back down. Bethany looked up. "Jackson." She said with a smile, leaning back in her seat.

"Hey Beth." He said with a lazy smile, squatting next to the dog. "Who's this?" He asked, petting the dog.

"Rocco. He was abused, so I'm trying to get him more socialized before we try to adopt him out." She explained, smiling at Jax and Rocco. "He likes you." She said quietly.

"He's cool." Jax said standing back up.

"I don't want to sound rude but, why are you here?" She asked him, looking up at him through heavy lashes.

"I wanted to see if I could buy you dinner." He said with a smile.

"Oh, um… I have to work…" She started when the older woman at the reception desk stuck her head in.

"She can leave." The woman said, before shutting the door.

Jax looked at Beth. "She's very nosy." Beth told him. "But I guess I could get away for a little while."

Jax offered her his hand, and pulled her up from her chair. "Ever ridden on a Harley?" He asked her with a cocky grin.

"No, not a Harley." She said trying to match his grin. "A couple sport bikes."

Jax snorted, "You're missing out." He told her as they walked out and got on his bike.

SOASOASOA

Beth laughed as Jax told her story about he and Opie as hell-raising teenagers. "You sound like a handful Jax." She said smiling at him.

"You can't tell me you don't have skeletons in your closet." He told her.

"No, I can't but they aren't nearly as interesting as yours." She said.

The check came and Jax pulled out some cash, leaving a sizeable tip. He had a great time with this girl, she was sweet, nice, laughed at his jokes, and was cute. She also didn't know anything about the Sons of Anarchy beyond it was a motorcycle club in town.

"Can I see you again?" He asked her after dropping her off at her car.

"I guess so." She said slyly, biting her lower lip.

Jax stepped closer to her and put a hand on her waist. She looked up at him, and he kissed her lightly, then again when she leaned back in.

Jax had a problem. He liked this girl, a lot. He also liked not being Vice President of Sons of Anarchy around her. Eventually, she was going to find out, but Jax liked the idea of controlling how much she knew.

SOASOASOA

Jax pulled up to the clubhouse, and Gemma watched him carefully. There was something different about him; a glow. "Where have you been?" She asked, eyeing him.

"Just out for a ride." He said, kissing her cheek.

She nodded, but didn't quite believe him. "What are you up to?" She asked him as he walked in the clubhouse.

"Just gonna talk to Clay about the run, then heading home." He said.

"When's the last time you got laid?" She asked bluntly.

"What?" He asked with a laugh.

"It's a serious question."

"Jesus Christ Ma, it's not really any of your business." Jax said, brushing past her.

Gemma watched him walk away. She knew he was hiding something, and she was going to find out what.

SOASOASOA

Jax pulled up to Beth's house around 8pm, after church with SoA. He'd seen her every day for close to two weeks, and they'd talked about almost everything. Everything but the Sons of Anarchy. He knew he needed to tell her something if he wanted to keep seeing her. It was only a matter of time before she talked to someone who knew him, so tonight, he left his cut on.

Walking into her place, he kissed her on the cheek, and smiled at her. She looked at him, and put a hand on his cut. "What's this?" She asked him curiously.

"It's my cut for the Sons of Anarchy." He said with a guarded tone.

"Oh. It's like a motorcycle club, right?" She asked him.

"Yeah, just a bunch of guys getting together and working on bikes and shit."

"Cool." She said, dropping the issue. Jax let out a breath and smiled. That wasn't so hard. "Do you want a beer?" She asked him, walking to the kitchen.

Jax grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him. "I'd rather have something else first."

"Oh yeah?" She asked him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He nipped at her neck and scooped her up, taking her back to her bedroom.

_**A/N- AS USUAL, SLOW FIRST CHAPTER TO ESTABLISH THEIR RELATIONSHIP. NEXT CHAPTER, A MAYANS RUN IN, AND GEMMA'S MEDDLING. ALWAYS FUN! PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N- A LITTLE BACKGROUND I SKIPPED OVER LAST CHAPTER: JAX IS 28 AND BETHANY IS 25. DONNA IS DEAD BUT OPIE AND LYLA AREN'T A COUPLE YET. THERE IS NO ABEL BUT THERE IS A WENDY. TARA WENT BACK TO CHICAGO. THIS IS NON-CANON AND DOESN'T FOLLOW ANY PARTICULAR SEASON, I KIND OF PICK AND CHOOSE STORY LINES I REALLY ENJOYED FROM THE SERIES AS WELL AS MAKING UP NEW ONES. AS ALWAYS, I DON'T OWN SONS OF ANARCHY. **_

_**THANK YOU TO DARK-LELU, THEADVENTURER, PAULSANGEL, AND DARKROSEOFWOLF FOR REVIEWING THE FIRST CHAPTER! I APPRECIATE IT!**_

Gemma was livid. The past two months, her son had been hiding something, or more likely, someone from her. She'd given him every opportunity to bring her around. Family dinners, parties at the club, family events, and he'd either skipped them or come alone. This wasn't just pussy anymore, this was something serious to him, and he didn't want her involved. That was going to change, soon.

SOASOASOA

"Shit with the Mayans and the Nords is heating up. Everyone needs to be on alert, don't get complacent." Clay told the rest of the Sons. "I'm arranging a meet up with Alvarez, Darby, and their VPs somewhere neutral; see if we can put this shit to bed." He banged the gavel and the men filed out of the meeting room.

"Want a beer bro?" Opie asked Jax, who was texting on his phone.

"Uh, just one, then I gotta go." Jax said, putting the phone down on the bar.

Opie snorted. "Seems like you've always gotta go lately."

"Yes, well that happens when you've got an old lady hidden away." Gemma said, appearing next to them.

Opie looked at Jax shocked. "Mom, what the hell are you talking about?" Jax asked her.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Jax." She said, crossing her arms and standing her ground.

Jax rolled his eyes and walked away, over to the pool table, Opie following. Gemma grabbed his phone off the bar and pulled up the call log. The only name she didn't recognize that he called at least once a day was Bethany. She committed the number to memory and called Juice over. "I want to know who this person is. I want to know everything." She said, writing Bethany and her phone number on a bar napkin.

"Right now?" Juice asked her, glancing at the number.

"No Sparky, next year. YES right now!" She yelled, frustrated.

SOASOASOA

Jax woke up with his arm around Beth. He smiled and kissed her forehead, tracing the dove tattoo on shoulder blade with his finger. She moaned softly, and her eyes fluttered open. "Morning." She said quietly, smiling at him.

"Good morning darling." He said, kissing her quickly. "How late are you working today?" He asked her as she got up and started going about her morning routine.

"I'm going to be staying late tonight, I'll be home between 7 and 8."

Jax watched her for a minute. "You're careful aren't you babe?"

She looked at him, confused. "I don't talk to strangers or take their candy if that's what you're asking." She told him with a smile.

Jackson grinned at her. "I'm serious Beth; even small towns can be dangerous."

She crawled on top of him, kissing him deeply. "I'm very careful, Jackson."

He knew in the back of his head that she had no idea what very careful really was in Charming, being attached to SAM CROW. He quieted his mind by reminding himself that if the Son's didn't know about her, the odds of someone else knowing about her were slim.

SOASOASOA

Juice walked into the office, shutting the door behind him and sitting next to Gemma. "What do you have?" Gemma asked him.

"Her name is Bethany Hommel. No record, not even a speeding ticket. She grew up in Seattle. Parents split up when she was 15 and her Mom moved down here. Went to college at UCLA and got a marketing degree. Moved to Charming last year and took a job at the animal shelter, her mom died of stomach cancer a couple months after Bethany moved here." Juice relayed the information he found.

Gemma thought carefully about what she heard. Nothing out of the ordinary, sounded like a goody two shoes, but nothing horrible. So why was he hiding her from the club, or more likely, why was he hiding the club from her?

"I'm going out for a while." She told Juice. "You guys watch the office."

SOASOASOA

Gemma pulled up to CAPS and got out, a woman on a mission. She walked in the office and asked for Bethany.

"She's out with the dogs, getting in a run." The older woman behind the counter told her, pointing to the large open park area behind the kennels.

Gemma walked back and stood watching the girl wearing running shorts and tennis shoes, run with a large mixed breed dog. The girl noticed her and ran over to her. She smiled and asked "Hi, can I help you with anything?"

Gemma looked the girl over. She was pretty, not stunning, but pretty. She seemed friendly enough. "I'm just looking right now." Gemma told her, pretending to be interested in the dog next to the girl. "Do you have any pets?" She asked the girl, not really caring, just wanting to keep the conversation going to find out what she wanted.

"I have two dogs, and I foster animals that are too sick to stay at the shelter. Kinda goes with the job." Bethany told her with another smile. Gemma didn't like how much this girl smiled.

"I bet your boyfriend hates that." Gemma said nonchalantly.

"He doesn't mind the dogs, isn't a big fan of cats though." She told her with a laugh. Gemma marveled at how easy it was to get the girl to talk to her; she could probably get her social security number if she wanted it.

"Does your boyfriend work here also?" Gemma asked her.

"Oh no, he's a mechanic." Bethany told her.

Gemma almost laughed out loud, she couldn't remember the last time Jax was referred to as a mechanic by anyone. "Well, I should go." Gemma said, not wanting the girl to become suspicious.

Bethany watched the woman walk back to her car and drive away. She thought she seemed nice enough, but she didn't even look at the animals, it was almost like she was just there to pump Bethany for information…

SOASOASOA

Jax and Clay sat at a picnic table in Lodi with Alvarez, Darby, and their VPs. They were surrounded by their clubs, spread out, ready to pounce if anything went wrong.

"Why are we here Clay?" Alvarez asked him.

"I'm trying to find out what it would take to keep you two away from Charming and out of the SoA's ass." Clay said to them.

"You provide our enemies with their weapons, that means we have a beef with you too." Alvarez told him.

"And you Darby?" Jax asked.

"I just don't like Sam Crow, I can't even run my business in my own town." Darby told him.

"That's because you're business is crank and pussy." Clay told him.

The meeting was not going well, no one wanted to budge. Sam Crow wasn't going to let the Nords deal in Charming, or stop selling guns to the One Niners.

Clay finally gave up, arguing was only going to make things worse, the only positive was that the Mayans and the Nords hated each other just as much as they hated the Sons.

Just as Jax and Clay started to stand up, Alvarez spoke again. "Jackson, your new old lady is beautiful."

Jackson froze and stared at Alvarez. "What did you say?" He growled.

"I gotta agree Jax. She is a fine piece of ass." Darby said with a chuckle. Jax jumped over the table at Darby, and Clay grabbed his collar, pulling him back with Tig's assistance.

"Let's go! We'll talk back at the club." Clay ordered him.

Once back at the clubhouse Clay approached Jax with the rest of the club. "Old lady?" Clay asked him.

Jax looked down at the floor. "It's nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing when you tried to start a goddamn war this afternoon. We didn't even know you had a girl around, much less one you gave a shit about." Clay told him.

"It's not anyone's business." Jax said.

"Are you fucking retarded? It is our business! If she gets hurt, if she dies, her blood is on our hands!" Clay fumed.

"She doesn't have anything to do with the club!" Jax yelled back.

"Fine. She doesn't have anything to do with the club? You better hope Darby or Alvarez don't get close to her, or anything that happens will be on your head!" Clay yelled. He took a breath and calmed himself. "Does she even know that she should watch out?"

Jax ignored him, and walked out, getting on his bike and driving off.

Gemma approached Clay after watching the exchange. "She doesn't know shit Clay, she's a deer in the headlights, and the Mayan's and the Nord's are the god damn truck."

_**A/N-PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! I HAVE TO WORK TODAY BUT PLAN ON PUTTING UP ANOTHER ANGEL OF DEATH CHAPTER TODAY OR TOMORROW!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N- THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR THEIR REVIEWS AND ALERTS, THEY GIVE ME WARM FUZZIES.**_

Jackson sat with Opie smoking a cigarette on a break from turning wrenches. "So why all the hush hush about this chick Jax?" Opie asked, after a few minutes of silence.

Jax sighed, he'd been getting hell from every member of the club, except Op. "I just like having a girl who doesn't care about the club, doesn't worry about me going out on a run."

"So you're lying to her so you feel good?" Opie questioned.

"I don't lie to her." Jax said.

"So what do you tell her about the club?"

"That we work on bikes and ride together and shit." Jax admitted.

Opie snorted. "That's the kind of shit you tell a one night stand, or a cop. Not a girl you want for your old lady."

"It's just… easier this way, man. She likes _me_, not the VP of Sam Crow, not the outlaw, just me."

"Jax, you are all of those things. You are the outlaw, you are the VP, those aren't different people, it's all you and I can tell you, not only will she be pissed when she finds out everything, she's going to be hurt man."

Jax thought for a minute. "It's not just about keep what I do from her; it's keeping the club out of her blood. She's a good person; this club gets in your veins and changes you."

"So you're saying I'm not a good person?" Gemma said, appearing out of nowhere.

Jax sighed. "Stay out of if Ma."

"No, I want to know what you meant. You said she's a good person, so what did you mean?" Gemma insisted.

"It means, I don't want this club to take everything good about her, and suck her dry until she's nothing but a bitter, cynical bitch like you!" Jax yelled, finally fed up.

As the words left Jackson's mouth, Gemma slapped him. He regretted what he said, but he was tired of his Mom trying to run his life. "I didn't mean…" He began.

"Yes you did." She said quietly. Opie excused himself and Gemma pulled out a cigarette. "What kind of hold does that girl have on you?" She asked him.

"Mom…" He said in a warning tone.

"I'm not… I just want to know what I'm dealing with, because if shit goes south, and you have to leave with no notice, I'll be the one picking up the shattered pieces of this illusion you have."

"I care a lot about her. I just want her to myself, I don't want her to get scared, or change because of the club." Jax told her.

"Jackson, have you not heard a word anyone has said to you?" Gemma said, exasperated. "If you want her to stay around, hiding this shit from her is not the way to secure a relationship."

"I'll tell her eventually. I just wanna do it on my own time, my way. You gotta stay out of this Ma." Jackson told her, staring at her. When she didn't say anything he said again. "MA! Promise me you'll stay out of this."

She sighed. "Fine. I'll leave little miss goody two shoes alone for now. But if she's sticking around, it's only a matter of time before I get involved."

"Thanks, Ma." He said, as his cell rang. "Hey baby." He said to Bethany.

"Hey Jax, um… this is kind of a weird question…" Bethany said.

"What's up?" He asked.

"I… uh.." She said with a laugh. "God this is so stupid. I think someone's following me."

Jax's face grew serious and Gemma watched him, picking up pieces of the conversation. "What do they look like?" He asked her.

"I dunno, tall I guess, lots of tattoos, stained wifebeater… I'm probably just being paranoid." She said, feeling foolish.

"Where are you?" He asked, trying to keep anything out of his voice that would alarm her.

"I'm at the diner on 6th for my lunch break." She told him.

"Just stay there, I'll be there in a minute."

"Oh, Jax, don't leave work, I'm just being crazy." Beth said.

"It's fine babe, just stay there, OK?"

"Ok… see you soon." She said, hanging up.

Jax walked quickly towards his bike when Gemma called out to him. "Jax!" he turned around quickly. "Take someone with you."

SOASOASOA

Opie and Jax pulled up to the diner less than 10 minutes after Bethany called. They walked in quickly, and scanned the crowd, seeing Bethany in a corner booth. She smiled at them as they sat down, Jax kissed her quickly. "Who is it?" He asked her.

"The guy sitting at the corner seat of the counter. He's been everywhere I've gone today." Bethany said, before turning her attention to Opie. "Hello."

Opie smiled at her. "Opie, nice to meet you."

"Beth… I've heard a lot about you Opie." She said with a smile.

"Over half of it is lies." Opie said with a snicker.

"Beth, go ahead and go to your car, head back to work. Opie and I will watch this guy; maybe have a talk with him. I'll come meet you at the shelter when you get off ok?" Jackson ordered.

"Jax, you're being a little dramatic… It's probably just a coincidence." She said with a laugh.

"Please Beth, just do it." He pleaded with her. She dropped her smile when she saw the seriousness in his eyes.

"Ok…" she said, getting up quickly. She glanced back him with narrowed eyes before leaving. As soon as she pulled out of the parking lot, the Nord who was following her got up, and Jax and Opie grabbed his arms, leading him outside and around the side of the building.

Jax threw the guy against the wall. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked the guy.

"Hey man, I was just having lunch." The Nord said, holding his hands up.

"Bullshit." Opie said to him pulling open his cut to reveal his holstered pistol. "You better start talking."

"Darby just wanted me to keep an eye on the girl. He didn't tell me what for, he just said to watch her." The man stammered.

Jax, punched the guy across the jaw, and told him to get the hell out of his face. After the man ran off Jackson turned to Opie. "What am I going to do man?"

"Clay's gonna wanna put a tail on her, until we're sure she's safe." Opie told him. "It might be the best thing."

"I'll take care of it myself. I can protect her." Jax insisted.

"Jax, this isn't a game. This is serious; you're going to get her killed!"Opie said to him. "You have to tell her something, man."

"I'll take care of it." Jax told him again.

"I hope so brother." Opie said as they got on their bikes.

SOASOASOA

Bethany waited until she and Jax were back at her house before finally asking him the question that had been on her mind. "Are you going to tell me what today was about?" She asked him.

"It was nothing…" He began.

"Jax, I grew up in Seattle, not Mayberry. You think I haven't noticed you coming in at two in the morning, smelling like gunpowder? You think I missed the spots of blood on your shirt? God Jackson, do you think I'm stupid?" Beth said to him in an even tone.

"Beth… I just didn't want you mixed up in all this."

"Mixed up in all what?" She demanded. "Jax! What the hell are you mixed up in?"

Jax sighed. "The Sons do a little more than just work on bikes. We sell… merchandise to other groups, it how we make our money, and our enemies."

Beth stared at him. "And the guy that was following me?"

"One of the groups that we don't sell to." He told her.

"You didn't think I might want to know that?" She asked him. "Jesus Jackson, I thought I was going crazy, or that it was some random creep, not some part of a group that had some issue with my boyfriend."

"I won't let anyone hurt you." He promised.

Beth sighed, sitting next to him. "I know you won't, but you lied Jax, for almost 3 months now, you've been letting me think that there was nothing to worry about."

"I didn't do it to hurt you."

"I know." She said sitting next to him in silence for a minute. "I'm going to lay down." She declared finally.

"Do you want me to stay?" He asked her.

"I don't know, I guess just do what you want." She told him, walking away.

Jax groaned and ran his hands through his hair; he did not want to have this conversation, not this way. He thought about leaving, but couldn't make himself, so he laid on the couch, and did his best to sleep.

_**A/N- AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING!**_

_Jackson smiled as Beth walked up to him in the Teller-Morrow parking lot, wearing the same blue and white dress she wore on their third date. "What are you doing here?" He asked her, wrapping an arm around her and giving her a kiss. _

"_What do you mean?" She asked him, brushing a hair out of his face. "I'm always here."_

_He laughed and kissed her again, when he moved his hand, he noticed a stain of red. He wrinkled his forehead, and looked at Beth's back, where a handprint of blood marred the light colors on the dress. "Beth?" He asked her, looking back at his hand. _

_Her face was a ghostly white. "Jackson?" She said to him. "Jax?"_

"Jax?" Beth said again, shaking Jackson out of his nightmare. "What are you doing?"

"Sleeping." He said groggily. "What time is it?"

"It's only 2. I just came to get a glass of water. Why are you sleeping on the couch?" She asked him.

"I didn't think you wanted me in there, and I wasn't going to leave you by yourself." He said rubbing his eyes.

She smiled softly at him. "You make it really hard to be pissed at you."

"Yeah, I'm good at that." He told her.

She walked away, pausing at the door. "Come to bed Jax."

SOASOASOA

Jax followed Beth to work pausing for a kiss before telling her, "I'm gonna send someone over here to keep an eye on you today. They won't bug you, they'll just be around in case."

"You don't have to do that." She said quietly.

"Yeah, I do." He said, laying a hand on her arm and looking into her eyes. "I'm going to keep you safe."

SOASOASOA

Beth ran her hands through her hair sighing. Both her Kennel staff had called in sick, and that left her and Carla, the older (and nosy) woman who ran the adoption counter to feed, water, and exercise all the animals.

She glanced out her office window when she heard the sound of approaching motorcycles, and smiled. Maybe she wouldn't have as difficult a day as she thought.

She walked outside and approached the two men sitting on their bikes, smoking cigarettes, and asked them "you're Jax's friends right?"

Half Sack jumped up immediately, making Piney laugh. "Yeah, we're his friends, you're Beth?" He asked.

"You were expecting someone taller?" She asked with a smile.

"Well the way Jax was hiding you, I expected you to be fatter, or I dunno, be deformed or something…" Half-Sack stuttered, before Piney hit him on the back of the head.

"The boy is stupid. I'm Piney." He said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you." She said, before turning back to Half-Sack. "And you are?"

"Kip, but everyone calls me Half-Sack, cause I got a nut blown off in the desert…" He rambled, pulling at his zipper, until Piney hit him again.

"Jackson told you to keep that deformed nut sack in your pants." Piney lectured.

"So… would you guys maybe be able to help with something?" Beth asked with a hopeful smile.

SOASOASOA

Jax pulled up to the shelter around 5, and walked to the back, where he saw Piney walking a dog, and the prospect filling up food bowls. He laughed before talking to them. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Uh, Beth needed some help…" Half-Sack started as Beth walked up.

"You're using my manpower?" He asked her as he slung an arm around her shoulder.

She shrugged. "You're the one that sent them; I just put them to good use."

"Everything cool today?" He asked.

"No creepy stalkers, if that's what you're asking." She said with a smile.

"Good, let's get you home then." Jackson told her with a sly smile.

When they pulled up to her house, Bethany walked up first, and paused at the front steps. "Jax? Did you send me flowers?" She asked, picking up a long white floral box.

"No." He said, walking up to the porch. "But now I kind of feel like an ass…" He stopped when he saw the box, and pulled it out of her hands.

He opened the box carefully, revealing a bouquet of black roses and several stacks of pictures, all of Bethany and Jax. The card read: _SOA STOPS SELLING GUNS TO THE NINERS, OR YOUR PRINCESS SUFFERS THE CONSEQUENCES._

Jax looked around them, trying to see if anyone was watching, and crushed the card in his hands.

"Jax?" Bethany said quietly, putting a hand on his arm. "Jax, what's going on?"

He sighed, and tried to think of any way around the most obvious decision, but couldn't think of anything. "Pack a bag baby, we're gonna have to go to the clubhouse until I figure this out."

"What? I can't just leave… what about the dogs?" She asked as he grabbed a bag out of her closet, and tossed it on the bed.

"Feed them now, and I'll send the prospect by tomorrow to take care of them." He said. "Hurry up." He ordered.

"Jax… what's wrong?" She asked quietly, staring at his face full of anger.

"Beth, just do it!" He said, raising his voice at her.

She turned away from him, blinking back tears, and finished packing in silence.

SOASOASOA

Bethany and Jackson walked into the clubhouse, and he immediately went to Clay, showing him the box left on Beth's porch, leaving her to stand awkwardly at the front of the clubhouse. Tig and Chibs walked over to her, "oh is this the mystery girl?" Chibs said with a friendly grin.

Tig stood close to her and inhaled deeply, earning him a weird look from Beth. "You smell good." Tig said to her with his signature creepy grin.

"Ummm… Thank you?" She said quietly, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Church!" Clay barked, and the Sons filed into the meeting room, leaving Bethany to survey the bar, occupied with a few hangers on and sweet butts, and Happy, the nomad Son, who was sitting at a table by the door.

Beth sat down at an empty table, pulling out her phone to busy herself when it rang. "Hello?" She asked, not recognizing the number.

"Beth? Sweetie, are you ok! I just saw your house!" Carla asked on the other line. She lived a couple streets over from Beth.

"What do you mean?" She asked her frantically. "I'm not home right now."

"It's burnt baby, to the ground." Carla told her.

"What!" Beth yelled jumping up and grabbing her purse. "I'll… I'll be right there." She told her, hanging up the phone. Just as she got to the door, Happy stepped in front of her. Beth stop and surveyed the man, he had no kindness in his eyes, and wore a blank expression.

"I don't think you should leave, wait for Jax."He told her crossing her arms.

"I can't. I have to go, my house, God my dogs… I have to go." She told him, trying to brush past him.

Happy grabbed her arm tightly, pulling her back roughly. "Wait. For. Jax." He repeated through gritted teeth.

Beth looked at him with a shocked expression and pulled away, tears in her eyes for the second time. "I… I can't." She said again, slipping past him and running out the door quickly.

Happy watched her run to her car, and thought about following her, but instead went into the church. The Sons stopped their conversation at the interruption, looking up at him.

"Uh Jax, your girl just ran out of here like a bat out of hell. Something about her house." Happy said with his arms crossed, he didn't like getting involved in domestic spats.

"What?" Jax yelled, jumping out his chair. "Why didn't you stop her?"

"Hey, I tried brother, but after I grabbed her, she gave me that fucking 'I'm gonna cry' look, and I don't deal with that shit." Happy told him.

"Shit." Jax said, walking out the door.

"Jax!" Opie yelled. "I'll go with you." He called out, following him.

"Me too!" Half-Sack said from behind the bar.

SOASOASOA

Beth pulled up in front of the remains of her house, and got out of her car, tears running down her face. It was gone, all of it. A firefighter walked up to her. "Is this your place?" He asked her.

Beth nodded, still staring at the remains.

"I'm sorry ma'am." The man said to her before walking away.

Beth walked around the perimeter of the wreckage, trying to see if there was any way anything, including her pets survived, when she heard the sound of bikes pulling up.

"Beth?" She heard Jax yell. "BETH!"

"Yeah?" She finally choked out.

Jackson ran around the side of the house and grabbed her, pulling her into his chest. "You scared the shit out me." He told her.

"It's gone Jax, everything. My dogs… Jax…"She said desperately, crying into his shirt. Jax was overwhelmed with guilt. This was his fault; he brought this life to her.

"I'm so sorry baby." He whispered, kissing the top of her head.

_**A/N- PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N- THANK YOU TO EVERYONE READING! SORRY IT'S TAKEN A LITTLE WHILE TO UPDATE!**_

Opie and Half-Sack stood within earshot of Jax and Beth, but stayed far enough out of way to give them some privacy. Opie grabbed one of the firefighters, a man Opie went to school with, and asked him "Man, is there any way her dogs made it?"

"We found one dog that didn't but, if she had more than one, it's possible it's running around the neighborhood, we didn't find it. The door was open when we responded, maybe it ran out?" He told Opie.

"Alright thanks man." Opie said to him before turning to Half-Sack. "Find that dog. Do nothing else until you find it." Half-Sack stared at him. "Go!" Opie half yelled, and the prospect scampered off to canvas the neighborhood.

Jax walked over to Opie. "Hey man, I'm going to take her back to my place; will you take care of this?" Opie nodded and pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket, and went to convince the fire marshal that this was not arson, and should be ruled faulty wiring.

SOASOASOA

The next morning when Jax woke up, Bethany was already out of bed and drinking coffee in the kitchen. "Morning." He said kissing her cheek. "I've got to go to the clubhouse today, we need to figure some stuff out. I'll call and have the prospect come by."

"I actually need to go out today." She said to him.

"What for?"

She looked down at the shirt she was wearing, the only outfit she had left. "I need to get some clothes and stuff…"

"Oh shit yeah, well he can go with you." Jax said pulling out his phone and calling the garage. After a short conversation he hung up and pulled Bethany out of her chair. "We have a few minutes, and I might rip that shirt off you if you don't take it off."

"Jax!" She giggled, kissing him and following him to the bedroom.

SOASOASOA

20 minutes later, Jax walked out of the bedroom shirtless to answering the pounding on the door. He threw it open, prepared to bitch out the prospect for being so annoying, but came face to face with Gemma instead.

"Where's Half-Sack?" He asked her as she pushed past him and into the house.

"He's off doing God knows what for Opie. Besides, she's going shopping, she needs a woman's opinion." Gemma said coolly.

Bethany walked out of the bedroom and met Gemma and Jax in the kitchen. She immediately recognized Gemma but didn't say anything after seeing the look Gemma shot her.

"Uh, Beth, this is my Mom…" Jax began.

"Gemma Morrow." She said holding out a hand.

Beth took it and smiled at her. "It's nice to meet you."

Gemma walked over to the fridge and opened the door stating "unless you want to eat mustard and expired eggs, we'll need to go by the grocery store also."

"Maybe I should go with you two…" Jax said to his mother.

"Don't be silly. Beth and I can bond." Gemma said with a smile. "Go on."

"Jesus Christ this is a mistake." Jax mumbled under his breath as he got on his motorcycle.

Beth got into Gemma's car and Gemma offered her a cigarette. "No thank you, I don't smoke." She said sweetly.

"Of course you don't" Gemma said, lighting her own and pulling out onto the road.

SOASOASOA

Gemma and Beth had finished clothes shopping and were driving to the grocery store when Beth's phone rang. She had a short conversation setting up an interview and hung up.

"Interview?" Gemma asked her. The two had spoken very little throughout the day.

"The paper wants to do a story about the carnival fundraiser for the shelter we're having next week."

"Oh?" Gemma questioned. "Are you getting Jax and the guys to help out with that?"

"No, I mentioned it to Jax but I don't think we'll need any help."

"So he didn't volunteer Bobby's Elvis services? Or Opie's fireworks?" Gemma prodded.

"I didn't know Opie did fireworks, and I guess I've never met Bobby." Beth admitted quietly.

"Really? Jax always seems to want to help out the people he cares about. The Sons are a family, and they help each other out. I would think Jax would have been chomping at the bit to show you off and do whatever he could to help you." Gemma said nonchalantly.

Beth didn't say anything and just nodded, staring out the window.

While in the grocery store Ernest Darby walked up to the two. "Gemma Morrow, the Queen of Bikers." He said with a smile before looking at Beth. "And the Princess."

"Ernest." Gemma said to him, her eyes raking across the swastika tattoo on his chest. "Picked up some new artwork?"

"It's simple, but it says it." He said with a smile.

"Beth's house was torched last night; you wouldn't know anything about that would you Ernest?" Gemma asked him.

"I'm sorry to hear about that. Sorry I can't help." He said, keeping his smile.

"Yeah, I'm sure you are." Gemma said as he walked away.

"Do you really think he was the one who set my house on fire?" Beth asked her innocently.

"Of course he was. It has Nords written all over it." Gemma said, as they were checking out.

Beth helped her get the groceries in the car before asking quietly. "Um, who are the Nords?"

Gemma scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Jesus Jax hasn't told you anything. It's a miracle you aren't dead."

SOASOASOA

Beth sat in the living room, her conversations with Gemma rolling around in her head. She tried to snap herself out of the funk when Jackson walked in the door. "Hey baby." She said with a smile, jumping up and giving him a kiss.

"Hey darling, Mom wasn't too rough on you was she?"

"Oh… no, she's not bad." Beth lied.

Jax raised an eyebrow at her and smirked, but didn't push it. "I'm gonna go jump in the shower real quick and then we can figure out dinner."

"We have enough food in the kitchen to feed an army. I think I can handle dinner, while you get cleaned up." Bethany told him with a smile.

"That's why you're a keeper." He told her, planting a kiss on her cheek and going back to shower.

Beth started working on stuffed chicken when there was a knock on the door. Jax was still in the shower so she went and answered it. Standing on the porch was a pretty blonde woman, who looked incredibly nervous.

"Is Jax here?" The woman asked her.

"Uh yeah, he's in the shower, would you like to come in?" She offered. The woman accepted and took a seat in the kitchen while Beth cooked. "I'm sorry, I'm so rude. I'm Beth." She said with a smile.

"I'm Wendy, Jax's wife."

_**A/N- PLEASE REVIEW! PROMISE I'LL UPDATE QUICKER!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N- I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SONS OF ANARCHY. BOO!_**

Beth threw open Jax's bedroom door, letting it slam against the wall. Jax looked up, a confused expression on his face. "What's up darling?" He asked her.

"What's up is your wife is here, Jackson." She hissed, staring him down.

Jax swore under his breath, and ran a hand through his hair. "Wendy is going to be my ex wife in 2 months when the divorce is final. I don't think of her as my wife."

"But legally, she is your wife. You didn't think I might want to know that there was a Mrs. Teller running around Charming? How many more things am I going to find out that you were keeping from me?" Beth asked, exasperated. She was tired of constantly being blindsided by shit that Jax should have told her. She was fed up. "I'm gonna go." She told him quietly. "You need to go talk to her, she looked like she had something important on her mind."

When Beth turned to go, Jackson grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?" He asked her, a concerned look on his face.

"I don't know yet, just out; away from this shit." She said.

"Away from me?" Jackson asked her.

"Yeah Jax, away from you." She said coldly, walking out of the house.

Jax watched her get into her car, and debated following her, but decided against it, and instead texted Juice, telling him to go to the shelter and wait for her there, to keep an eye on her. He assumed it was the only place she'd go.

After talking to Juice, Jax walked into the kitchen, pulling the now burnt dinner off the stove and turned to Wendy. "What do you want?"

"I… came to talk to you. You haven't been answering my calls." She said sadly.

"Yeah, I thought that was a hint." Jax told her.

"Your Mom told me you'd be home, and that maybe I could come by." Wendy began.

"Oh shit, I should have known. And why would my Mom give a shit about you talking to me? She still calls you junkie whore." Jax said angrily.

"She just said that you were starting to see someone new, and if I wanted a chance to reconcile, I better do it now, before you were too far in with the other girl…" Wendy mumbled, feeling stupid for coming.

"Are you high? Us…" Jax yelled, motioning between the two of them "is NEVER happening again. It wouldn't matter if Beth was around or not. Get the fuck out of my house."

Wendy stood up, and walked out, her head bowed, hiding her tears. Jax felt kind of bad for snapping at her, after all, it was his mother he was really pissed at. He called Juice, to make sure he was with Beth, and headed to Clay and Gemma's house, ready to lay down the law.

SOASOASOA

Jax walked into his Mother's house, and sat down across from her at the kitchen table, where she was reading the paper. She glanced up and saw his face. "What?" She asked him.

"Don't play dumb Ma. Wendy? That's low, even for you." Jax told her.

"It wouldn't have been a big deal if your old lady had known about her." Gemma said coolly. "I suppose that was another part of your life you just, forgot to mention."

"Jesus Christ Ma, I care a lot about this girl. She's a million times better than a God damn crow eater, why the fuck can't you just leave her alone and let us be happy?" Jax yelled at her.

"Are you stupid? I'm trying to protect her. You keeping all this shit from her isn't a relationship, it's some God damn fantasy world you've dreamed up. You want her to stick around, you want her to be your old lady, then YOU have to come clean." Gemma said, crossing her arms.

Jax thought about arguing with her more, but knew somewhere in the back of his head she was right. He sighed and put his head in his hand. "Where is she now?" Gemma asked him.

"At work, Juice is watching her." Jax said.

"You sent the retard to stay with her? Jesus, you might not have to tell her the truth about anything, that idiot will scare her off."

Jax thought on this a minute, and decided she was right, and got back on his bike, hoping to salvage their relationship.

SOASOASOA

Bethany was sitting out in front of the shelter at a picnic table, when she heard a motorcycle roar behind her. She glanced back, and was surprised that it wasn't Jax; it was a Puerto Rican man with tattoos on either side of his Mohawk. She would have been more scared, but the goofy grin he was wearing made it hard to worry.

"I'm Juice." He said happily, sitting across from her.

"Bethany." She said with a smile.

"Cool. Jax wanted me to make sure you were ok, and what not." Juice babbled, pulling a box out of jeans, and rolling a joint. He lit it and offered it to Beth, who shook her head. "Are you sure? It's great for stress, nothing seems quite so serious when you're high."

Beth contemplated for a minute, and took the joint from him. "I haven't done this since high school." She confided in him, taking a small hit, and coughing slightly. Juice laughed and they passed the joint between them, getting to know each other. "I didn't know Jax even had a friend named Juice, much less that you could fix my busted computer."

"Don't be mad at Jax man, he's just protective of you, wants you all to himself." Juice said.

"That doesn't make it right." She told him, a smile plastered on her face from the high she was experiencing.

"Yeah, but I mean… come on… it's kind of cute, in a gay sorta way." Juice stammered.

"I guess…" She said as another motorcycle pulled up behind them. "Speak of the devil."

Jax walked up to them and sniffed the air, then looked at Beth, who was grinning up at him. "Did you get her high?" He asked Juice, a pissed off look on his face.

"I uh, I just offered. I didn't make her or anything…" Juice said nervously.

"Down boy, I'm a big girl, he didn't do anything wrong." Beth said putting a hand on Jax's arm. He shot Juice another look, but didn't say anything else.

"Cool, well, I'm gonna go… so… bye Jax, bye Beth." Juice said, kissing Beth on top of the head, and slapping hands with Jackson.

After he drove off, Jax turned to Beth. "Can we talk?"

"Sure." She said simply.

"I'm sorry I've been hiding shit from you. I know I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry. From now on; total disclosure." Jax promised her.

"Swear?" She asked him.

"Swear." He told her.

"Any more wives that are going to come out of the woodwork?" She asked him, narrowing her eyes.

"Hell no." He assured her.

She nodded and tried to think of more things to ask him, but she kept going back to the sexy feeling that being high gave her. "Jax…"

"Yeah darling?" He asked, wrapping an arm around her.

"Being high makes me really horny." She whispered, even though there was no around to hear her.

Jackson's eyes lit up like it was Christmas. "Is your office open?" He asked her.

Beth nodded, biting her bottom lip and smiling at him. Jax stood up and picked her up throwing her over his shoulder, and slapping her ass.

**_A/N- PLEASE REVIEW, I REALLY APPRECIATE THEM ALL! _**


	7. Chapter 7

Jackson and Beth lay in bed, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her, while she asked him questions about his life. "Who are the Nords?" She asked him, tracing his fingers with her own.

"Aryan brotherhood bullshit, they deal meth and pussy. We keep it out of Charming." Jax told her, watching her fingertips dance across his arm.

"And what "merchandise" are the Sons involved in?"

Jax sighed; he knew this question was coming. "Guns. We sell guns to a couple different groups up and down the coast, friends of the club."

Beth sat up on her elbows and looked at him. "So you guys are like the 'good' bad guys huh?"

Jax grinned at her. "Something like that."

Beth appeared to be contemplating this, after a minute she spoke again. "It's kinda hot." She decided.

"Oh yeah?" Jax asked her, rolling on top of her.

"Mmmhmm." She managed to hum as Jax's lips covered hers.

SOASOASOA

Bethany looked around the shelter grounds. It had been transformed into a fairground of sorts. Lots of games, food booths, and a couple kids rides. It had only been open 30 minutes, but the crowd milling around was growing steadily, and Beth was confident they would meet if not exceed the fundraising goal by the end of the night.

She heard a couple motorcycles in the parking lot and smiled, waving at Half-Sack, Juice and Opie as they approached her. Jax had 'club business' to take care of, but he wanted to make sure she was protected, and that she had help if she needed it.

"We're at your service." Juice said with a sweeping bow and his trademark goofy grin. Opie rolled his eyes, but Half Sack wore a look of admiration while watching him. It was obvious to Beth that Juice was a mentor of sorts to the prospect.

"Thank you guys for coming." She said with a smile. "I really appreciate this, especially since Jax ducked out for 'club business'." She said with a slight roll of her eyes.

"He said he'll be by after he's done." Kip offered, hoping to cheer her up.

"Yeah, yeah." She said with a slight grin. "So can you guys just kind of wander, see if any of the booths need any help?"

"I don't do face painting, or anything involving pie." Juice warned her.

Beth laughed at him, "Isn't that what the prospect's for?"

Opie chuckled. "Look at you, learning shit." He said, clapping her back.

Opie had been doing grunt work for an hour or so, moving supplies and trash for different booths, when he noticed three Nords wandering around. They weren't doing anything, just looking at a sign about the shelter, but Opie still didn't trust them. He motioned for Juice and Half-Sack and walked over to confront Darby's lackeys.

"What are you doing here?" Opie asked, placing a hand on one's shoulder.

"Just taking in the sights, thinking about getting my kid a dog." He said, sneering at Opie.

"Didn't know they let you assholes procreate." Juice said, spitting on the ground in front of another man.

"We aren't looking for trouble…" The third said, standing toe to toe with Half-Sack.

"Well you found some. Get out of here." Opie told him, crossing his arms and looking down at the Nord standing in front of him.

That should have been the end of it, in normal times; the Nords leave Sam Crow alone in Charming. These were not normal times, and the tension between the two groups was at an all time high. These Nords were not going to back down.

"Go." Juice repeated, his nose inches away from the skinhead trying to size him up.

"No." The Nord said with a smirk, blowing a kiss at him. Juice exploded tackling the man into the booth behind him, causing a chain reaction. In a matter of seconds, Opie and Half-Sack were also throwing punches and causing destruction in a large area of the carnival.

Beth was on the other side of the lot, turning when she heard yells and screams. She ran over to the area, mouth agape at the amount of damage to booths and decorations. People were either running out of the area or toward the brawl, causing even more destruction. No one called the police, they knew when it came to Sam Crow, it was better to let them handle their business themselves.

"Stop!" Beth yelled trying to get closer to the fight, but having difficulty getting through the crowd. "Opie! Stop it!" She yelled loudly as she pushed her way through. She knew better than to try to get between the men, likening it to fighting dogs. You get between a dog fight, you're going to get bit. "OPIE!" She screamed once more. Opie stood up, and Juice and Half-Sack followed suit, kicking the Nord in front of him.

The Nords pulled themselves up, and walked out quickly, jumping in their truck. The crowd, disappointed that the show was over, filed out, and the fundraiser was over, 2 hours early.

Beth was approached by several vendors, who wanted compensation for their damaged booths and merchandise, and she mentally calculated how much it would cost out of the funds they had raised to cover everything. It was a depressing thought for her.

After almost an hour of soothing angry vendors Beth glanced around at the barren, destroyed carnival in front of her. Most of the volunteers had left in the wake of the fight, and she knew it would be a long night of cleanup for her. Opie, Juice and Half-Sack had been standing off to one side smoking a cigarette, and walked over to Beth once she was unoccupied.

"What can we do?" Opie asked her, watching her pick up trash and broken things.

"Nothing." She said quietly, not taking her eyes away from her work.

"Let us help." Juice said, trying to take the bag from her.

"You've done enough!" She half yelled before taking a breath. "Please, just go." She pleaded.

The three guys stood awkwardly for a minute, before Opie motioned for them to leave.

SOASOASOA

Opie, Juice and Half-Sack walked into the clubhouse and made a beeline for Jax, who was drinking a beer with Bobby to celebrate a job well done. He looked at them with a confused expression. "I thought that shit wasn't supposed to be over for another hour?"

Opie took a breath. "There were some… issues." He admitted, recounting the story to Jax.

"Jesus Christ man." Jax said, putting a hand on his forehead. "Alright well I gotta go do some damage control."

Jax pulled up to the shelter and didn't see anyone in the large grassy lot, just remnants of the fundraiser. He did notice that Beth's office light was on, so he went in, and leaned against the doorframe, watching her writing out numbers and dollar amounts. "So how bad is it?" He asked her.

She sighed, looking up at him. "After paying for other people's damages, we'll make a little under half what we had planned on."

Jax walked over to her, and kissed her on top of the head. "I'm really sorry babe."

"It's not your fault." She said sadly, clearly disappointed. "Shit happens, right?" She asked him, borrowing his key phrase.

He didn't say anything. This was exactly what he didn't want, he didn't want her to just brush off things that hurt her because it was the club's fault. He decided to change the subject instead. "Mom wants us to come to a big family dinner thing next week. I told her maybe, but if you don't want to go…"

"No that's fine, we can go." Beth said quickly, eager to change Gemma's opinion of her.

"Cool." Jax said, a sick feeling in his stomach.


	8. Chapter 8

Jax sat in the kitchen, briefing Beth on the dos and don'ts of a family dinner at his Mom's place while she cooked macaroni and cheese to take with them. "So remember, stay away from Tig and Happy. Bobby and Piney are fine, Juice is an idiot, and Opie's my best friend."

"And Clay…" She asked.

"Clay is gonna want to size you up; make sure you're good for the club." He told her.

"And if he thinks I'm not?" She asked, a look of nervousness filling her eyes.

Jax stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Don't worry about that, he won't."

"I'm kind of nervous." She admitted to him, putting her forehead on his chin.

"Me too." Jax admitted. "Not because of you!" He added quickly. "The club's just… a lot to take in, especially all at once."

"I'm more worried about your Mother." Beth said with a small laugh.

"Oh shit, yeah me too." Jax said laughing with her. "Just don't make any sudden movements, and if she smiles at you too long, it's a trap, get the hell out."

They took Beth's car or 'cage' as Jax called it, and pulled up to Clay and Gemma's house. Jax glanced over at Bethany who was playing with her hands nervously. "You alright?" He asked her.

She laughed softly. "It's just a dinner, why am I acting like I'm going to be on trial?"

Jax laughed, "Geez, did I make it sound that bad?" He asked her.

"No, I'm just being stupid, let's go; your Mom is probably watching from the window, she probably thinks we're making out." She teased.

"Well let's give her a show then." Jax said, wrapping a hand around the back of her head and pulling her towards him, kissing her deeply.

"Jax!" She squealed from under his lips, giggling. She smacked his arm lightly. "Let's go."

Jax opened the front door, ushering Beth in, and scanned the front room, everyone was already there, and were stealing glances at Beth and Jax, waiting for Clay and Gemma to greet them.

Clay walked up, and took Beth's hand, shaking it firmly and pulling her into a hug. "Nice to finally meet you." He said in his gravelly voice, smiling. Beth smiled back and nodded, having trouble finding her voice.

Gemma sized Beth up, she was wearing a black and blue halter top and a pair of fitted jeans with ballet flats, it was more fairy princess than biker princess for Gemma's liking, but she didn't say anything, instead hugging Bethany and kissing her cheek, catching Beth completely off guard. Beth stifled a giggle as Jax mouthed the word 'trap' to her behind Gemma's back.

"How are you doing sweetie?" Gemma asked her after kissing Jax's cheek.

"Just fine and you?" Beth asked her carefully, with a small smile.

"Just fine." Gemma mimicked, taking the side dish out of Beth's hands and walking to the kitchen. Beth glanced at Jax for direction, but was picked up and twirled by Opie before he could speak to her.

"Hey!" Opie said, after putting her down and ruffling her hair. Juice and Half-Sack stood next to Opie. "We have something for you, to say we're sorry for last week." Opie said holding out an envelope stuffed full of bills.

"Oh, that's not necessary." Beth began, trying to hand the envelope back to him.

"Yes it is." Clay growled, giving the other men a look that was not to be questioned. Beth decided not to try to fight him on it, and put the envelope in her purse.

"Thank you." She said genuinely moved by the gesture.

"We have something else!" Half-Sack said happily, and ran out to the backyard, coming back with Beth's chocolate lab, Hunter, on a leash.

"Oh my God!" Beth yelled, dropping to her knees and petting her dog she assumed was lost forever.

"The other one didn't make it…" Half-Sack told her sadly.

"Thank you." Beth said, tears in her eyes while Hunter licked her face. She petted her companion a while longer until Gemma yelled to 'get that filthy mutt out of her house' and Half-Sack took him back into the backyard.

Jax walked her out to the backyard to meet Chibs, Bobby, Tig, and Piney. She was a little put off by Tig's remark about her 'great ass', but found Bobby, Chibs and Piney to be charming. When Clay walked out, Jax leaned in to tell her, "Why don't you go see if Ma needs any help."

Beth nodded, not wanting to leave Jax's side, but also not wanting to cause a scene and went into the kitchen where Gemma, Luanne, and Lyla, Opie's new girlfriend were taking dishes out to the dining room table.

"So?" Jax asked Clay when Beth was out of earshot.

"Seems like a good girl, we'll see." Clay said, taking a puff off his cigar. "Would it really matter what I think?" He asked Jax, knowing his step-son did not hold his opinion in high regard.

Jax shot him a grin, "probably not." He admitted, winking at Clay.

Meanwhile, Beth did her best to help out in the busy kitchen, trying to make small talk with Lyla. "How did you meet Opie?"

"Oh, he uh, worked on my car, and he's around CaraCara a lot." Lyla chirped, smiling as she thought of her new man.

"CaraCara?" Beth asked her, Charming was a very small town, and she'd never heard of it.

"Yeah, Luanne's adult film company, well Luanne and the Sons" Lyla told her, correcting herself.

Another thing Jax had failed to mention to her. "Oh, that's sweet." Beth said with a smile, reminding herself she wasn't one to judge how someone made their money. "You guys seem really happy."

"Yeah." Lyla said, a dreamy look on her face, it didn't take a genius to figure out how deeply she cared for Opie. Beth decided she really liked Lyla, and that she needed an ally to figure out how to traverse the minefield that was Sam Crow.

After everyone was seated and served, Gemma spoke to Beth again. "So what's the status on your house?"

"The insurance money just came through, so I'm starting to look for a new place now." She said, grateful for an easy question.

"That's nice. I assumed you would just move in with Jax." Gemma commented. Beth heard Jax groan next to her, and Bobby snicker on her other side.

"Oh, I um, I just think it's kind of… soon for that." Bethany said, flustered.

"So how is he going to protect you?" Gemma prodded.

"We make it work, Ma." Jax said shooting his mother a warning look.

They finished their dinner without issue, and Beth took it upon herself to help Gemma and the other women clear the table. When they were just about finished, Gemma grabbed her arm. "They can finish up, come with me."

Beth had a sense of walking to her execution as she walked into Gemma's bedroom. Gemma dug around at the top of her closet, and Beth cooed at Gemma's cockatoo. She jumped slightly when Gemma spoke, standing right next to her. "He keeps me sane." She confided.

Beth smiled at her, "he's a beautiful bird." She told Gemma.

"So I'm assuming you don't have protection." Gemma asked her out of the blue.

Beth was put off by the question, after all, it was a very personal thing to ask someone. "I um… I mean I'm on the pill…" She began to stutter out, until she saw the handguns in a hatbox that Gemma was going through. "Oh!" She said, relieved. "No, I don't have a gun."

"Do you know how to shoot one?" Gemma asked her, polishing a barrel.

"In theory… I've been to the shooting range with my Dad and stuff." Beth told her; happy she had at least a little experience.

Gemma handed her the gun she had been polishing, "Here, take this one; keep it on you, just in case."

Bethany held the gun in her hand testing the weight, and taking note that it was loaded. "Thank you." She said to Gemma, it was the first sign that Gemma wanted her around at least a little while.

"Let's go put that up, before my son sees it, and starts bitching at me… again." Gemma said with a small chuckle. Beth slid the gun into the back waist of her jeans, not sure where Jax was, and not wanting him to be angry with her, or his Mom.

She and Gemma walked into the front room and Gemma started to ask her a question, when the front door was thrown open, and a Hispanic man wearing a black shirt and black pants walked in, grabbing a handful of Beth's hair and pointing a gun at her, "Don't you dare scream." He told Gemma, pointing the gun her direction. "Get your husband in here." He demanded.

Gemma started to slide out of the room, when the man pointed the gun at her once again. "Call him in here." He clarified, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him and Beth. Beth bit her bottom lip as the unknown man twisted her hair tighter, making her want to cry out in pain.

"Clay…" Gemma said hoarsely, not getting much volume behind her voice. The man hit her with the barrel of his gun hard enough that Beth was sure she wouldn't have been able to hold her tongue, but Gemma managed to, wiping the blood from her swollen lip.

"Again." He insisted, watching the entry to the room.

"Clay!" Gemma yelled, much louder this time, her voice shaking and frantic. Beth slid her hand along her waistband, grabbing the handle of the gun Gemma had giving her only minutes before, gripping it firmly, but not having the courage to use it, especially with the cold barrel of the man's weapon against her temple.

Clay, followed by the rest of the Sons ran into the room, frightened by Gemma's tone, and time seemed to slow down dramatically in Beth's head.

As the assailant lowered the gun from her head and towards Clay, she pulled Gemma's handgun out, and up to the man's chin, closing her eyes and squeezing the trigger. As the gun made a loud 'BANG' time sped back up, as she and Gemma were covered in blood and brain matter, and the assassin fell to the ground, his hand unwrapping from Beth's hair as he fell.

Everyone stood, wide-eyed at the scene that unfolded in front of them. Beth felt her mouth began to water, and backed away, her eyes like a caged animal. She dropped the gun, and muttered "I need some air" before running out to the backyard and falling to her knees, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the ground in front of her.

"Oh shit." She whispered to herself as the reality of what happened washed over her. She had killed someone. He was standing right next to her, and now he was dead in Clay and Gemma's front room. "Oh shit." She repeated, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans, disgusted by the amount of blood on her.

She felt a cool washcloth on her neck, and glanced up to see Jackson standing over her. He grabbed her by her armpits and pulled her up, looking her in the eyes. "We'll take care of it." He assured her, taking the washcloth and wiping her cheek clean, before kissing it.

He took her hand and led her back in, where Sam Crow was operating like a well oiled machine, getting rid of any evidence that the unknown man had ever been there. Gemma put a hand on her shoulder telling her, "We've got to get rid of those clothes, come on."

Beth wordlessly followed her back into her bedroom. "Go on and take a shower, I'll use the other bathroom and leave some clothes out for you." Gemma said gently as if talking to a wounded animal. "Put all of your clothes in this." She said, holding out a garbage bag.

After carefully undressing and stepping into the shower, Beth lost it, sobbing as she tried in vain to scrub away what had happened. She scrubbed until the water ran clear, her skin was raw and pink, and the hot water was all but gone, before stepping out and drying off. She laughed to herself at the clothes Gemma had pulled out for her. A low cut corset top, a pair of dark blue jeans, and black, spike heeled boots. It looked like nothing Beth would wear, and something Gemma would.

She told herself that beggars couldn't be choosers, and her clothing options at the moment were very slim. After slowly getting dressed and pulling her hair up into a wet ponytail, she walked slowly out, afraid of seeing the dead eyes lying on the floor. She was spared, thankfully, the body was gone, and Bobby and Piney were cleaning blood off of anything that could be cleaned. Everything else would be burnt.

Beth jumped at a hand on her shoulder, and looked back to see Clay standing over her. "You ok?" He asked her, genuine concern on his face.

"Yeah…" She said, not entirely sure if that was true or not, but not wanting to make a scene.

"You saved my life." Clay said matter of factly. Beth wasn't sure what the proper response was to that statement and chose to simply nod her head.

Jax walked in from the backyard, holding Hunter's leash, and wrapped an arm around her waist. He looked her over, chuckling at her outfit, and asked her if she was ready to go. She nodded at him, and followed him wordlessly out the door.

Gemma walked in the room in time to watch them leave, and Clay draped an arm around her shoulders. "Girl's got more balls than I thought." Gemma confided in her husband.


	9. Chapter 9

Beth and Jax laid in bed, neither felt much like sleeping, so they watched something neither cared about on TV. "Do you guys do this a lot?" Beth asked him suddenly. He looked at her, confused, so she clarified. "Make… problems go away?"

"More than I'd like to." Jax admitted to her. "What happened tonight, it will never blow back on you." Beth didn't look relieved, so he added. "You did what you had to, he would have killed Clay, and he might have killed all of us."

"I know." Beth said quietly. "I've just… never been around this kind of stuff before. I sure as hell never killed anyone before."

"I'm sorry baby." He said pulling her into his chest, as if trying to shield her from some unseen attack. "It was a mistake to bring you into this."

Beth pulled away to look Jax in the eyes. "This is your life, Jax. If it's a mistake to bring me in, then it's a mistake to be with me."

"I didn't mean it like that." He told her.

"But that's how it is. I figure out how to fit in, or I leave, there's no halfway. You have to decide if you trust me to be around." Beth told him as his phone rang.

"Yeah?" He answered, listening on the other end. "Are you fucking serious? Do we really have a choice? Ok we'll be there, gotta bring the dog with us. Yeah, see ya soon." Jax sighed as he hung up the phone, turning to Beth. "We're going on lockdown. Pack a bag."

"For how long?" She asked, getting out of bed and getting dressed.

"Shit I don't know, hopefully just a day or two. We're meeting up with Darby tomorrow, says he wants to make peace. Apparently someone paid him a visit tonight too." Jax told her, shoving some clothes into a bag. Beth watched her boyfriend transform in front of her, from sweet, caring Jackson, to cold, all business Vice President of Sam Crow.

SOASOASOASOA

Beth and Jax slept in his old dorm room at the clubhouse, a luxury not afforded to the friends of the club, Crow Eaters and hangers on. When Beth got out of bed at 7 that morning, leaving Jax to sleep, she had to maneuver through a minefield of bodies sleeping on the couches, floors and pool tables. After a short search, she found a small kitchen and began making coffee.

A Crow Eater walked in, looking at her carefully. "You're Jax's old lady right?"

"Uh, yeah." Beth said to her. She'd never seen this woman before, and felt a little weird that she knew who Beth was.

"Let me get that for you." The Crow Eater insisted, taking the coffee pot from her. "I'll bring you a cup when it's ready. Cream and sugar?"

"Oh um, that's really not necessary…" Beth began, when Gemma walked in, standing next to her.

"I'll take both." Gemma said giving Beth a look that told her she had better go along.

"Me too." Beth said, walking out with Gemma.

"They gotta do that, shows respect." Gemma explained to her as they took their seats at the bar.

"Oh." Beth said, she didn't really understand what made her better than the woman making her coffee.

"You and I, we're Sam Crow royalty. Good old ladies can make, or break, a club." Gemma told her, as if she had read her mind, before thanking the Crow Eater who sat two cups of coffee in front of them. "Do you love my son?"

"Pardon?" Beth said, hoping she had misheard her.

"You heard me. Do you love him?"

"I… I do. Jackson is an amazing man." Beth told her honestly.

"Do you love the club?"

"I don't know enough about the club."

Gemma looked at her thoughtfully. "That's alright for now. You love the man; you learn to love the club. Just know that because Jax Teller loves you, every single man in a Sons of Anarchy cut would lay down his life to protect you. It's not something to take lightly."

Beth thought about it a minute. Men she didn't know, strangers, would die to keep her safe. It was a heavy burden to bear. "I never would."

"I know. I can tell." Gemma said, taking a sip of coffee. "I might have misjudged you. I thought this place would snap you like a twig, yet here you are, still standing."

"So far." Beth clarified, choosing to take what Gemma said as a complement. "I'm not going to lie, this place, this life; it scares the shit out of me."

"That just means you're smart. I've been in this life over 30 years and it still scares the shit out me sometimes."

Beth knew the statement was meant to comfort her, but she was left with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as Jax and the other Sons rode off to meet with Darby

SOASOASOASOA

After the Sons got back from their meeting with the Nords, everyone was free to go, and Jax took Beth and her dog back to his place. "What happened?" She asked him, remembering their total disclosure deal.

"The Nords and the Sons made peace, focusing on the shit eating Mayans now." Jax told her.

"But Gemma said…" Beth began.

"Said what?"

"She said the Nords were the ones that burned down my house."

"We don't know for sure, probably was." Jax said quietly.

"So we just… let it go? I forget it happened?" Beth pried.

"It's complicated Beth, but for right now, yeah, we forget it happened." Jax said, he had a long day, and didn't want a guilt trip right now.

"I… I didn't go to the police; I did nothing, because you promised me that it would be taken care of!" Beth said, getting frustrated.

"Well, I had to break it. You should probably get used to it." Jackson told her, getting up and walking out, jumping on his bike.


	10. Chapter 10

When Jax pulled up to his house a few hours later, he shouldn't have been surprised that Beth's car was gone. He pulled out his phone thankful that she at least had the sense to answer it.

"Where are you?" He asked her when she picked up.

"Are you the only one allowed to have pissy storm out sessions? Because if that's the case I'll really need a set of rules to reference." Beth said sarcastically.

Jax took a breath, and asked her again. "Where are you?" He asked, hoping he sounded more calm.

"The clubhouse." Beth answered, nonchalantly.

"What?" Jax asked, hoping like hell he misheard her.

"Juice invited me." Beth offered in way of explanation.

Jax pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Don't leave, I'll be right there."

**SOASOASOA**

Beth hung up the phone, turning her attention to Gemma, who had situated herself on the stool next to Beth.

"My son?" Gemma asked her.

"Yep."

"I'm sure he's just thrilled you came to see his Mommy." Gemma said with a grin.

"He doesn't even know you're here, just that Juice invited me to come by."

"Even better." Gemma said, smirking. "How are you handling it?"

"Which it are we referring to? My house burning down, shooting someone, my boyfriend hiding as much about his life as humanly possible, or his Mother tracking me down at work to scope me out?" Beth glanced up at Gemma on the last words with a slight raise of her eyebrows.

Gemma smiled slightly before answering, "Take your pick."

"You know, I don't really want to. I just want to drink my beer, fight with Jax, and go to bed."

"The poor me act doesn't really play well around here." Gemma advised her.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't get the manual for this club Gemma. I'm kind of figuring it out as I go along, and while it might all be second nature to you, I'm having a few issues coping. If you could just cut me some slack…" Beth trailed off sighing. She hadn't meant to take it out on Gemma, even though she probably deserved it. Telling off Gemma was like poking a bear, it was never a great idea.

"I don't 'cut you slack' because this club, this life, won't cut you slack. If you're going to make it, you've got to be pushed."

"And you want me to make it?" Bethany asked, incredulously, before being interrupted by Jax.

"Jesus Beth, could you at least give me a heads up if you're going to storm off?" Jax asked her, putting himself between her and Gemma. "Hey Ma." He added, kissing Gemma's cheek. "You ready to go?" He asked Beth.

Beth stared at him angrily, and crossed her arms. He looked at her then to Gemma. "Did you teach her this?" He asked his Mother, who smiled slyly and watched the events unfold. Jax shook his head, and moved out of the line of fire. "Will you give us a minute?" He asked Gemma.

Gemma glanced at both of them, but got up and walked away, keeping an eye on them from a distance.

Jax took her place and sat beside Beth. "Why are you pissed?"

Beth snorted. "Are you… kidding me? Jax, you should has just asked what I'm not pissed about, it's a shorter list."

"I can't help…"

"I know exactly what you can and can't help, and keeping me in the dark constantly, Jax you can help that. If you want me to be around, then you have to let me in." Beth told him, her eyes inspecting his face carefully.

"I know." Jax admitted. "I don't want to lose you though, if I wanted a mini Gemma, I'd let her fix me up with one of the many wannabes around here. I don't want that. I want you."

"Jax, do you really think I could ever be your Mother?" Beth asked glancing at Gemma, who was giving a thorough tongue lashing to Half-Sack. "Seriously? That would take way more energy than I could ever hope to have. No more excuses Jax."

Jax smiled, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him. "No more."

Beth wanted to be angry still, but Jax's smile was her kryptonite, and she raised her lips to reach his, when it felt like the room was exploding. Next thing she knew, Beth was on the ground, Jax lying on top of her. She glanced around in confusion, seeing all of the Sons and random party goers on the floor. The popping Beth had been hearing finally stopped, and people slowly and cautiously got up.

"Anyone hurt?" Clay bellowed while the other Sons ran out to the parking lot to see if they could catch a glimpse of the attackers.

No one came forward, and people began milling around, murmuring theories to one another. Beth however, began having flashbacks of the night in Clay and Gemma's house. She had enough gunshots to last her a lifetime.

Jax made a beeline for her when he came back inside, grabbing her hands in his and bringing them up to his lips. "You're OK." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes Jax. I'm ok." Beth said almost bitterly. She didn't want to be the fragile one. "I'm not made of glass you know."

Jax gave her a funny look. "I didn't say you were. Sorry I was happy that you don't have any bullets in you."

Bethany sighed; she had unintentionally hurt his feelings. "I'm sorry. I'm stressed." She offered in way of apology.

"I get that." Jackson told her. He glanced at the Sons filing into church. "I gotta go handle this. Stay here until I get out." He started by ordering her, before stopping himself and adding. "Please?"

Beth thought about pressing the issue, they'd just been in a drive by shooting, and he wanted her to stick around? She remembered Gemma's words, how this life didn't cut you any slack. "Yeah, do what you gotta do." She told him, kissing his cheek.


	11. Chapter 11

**_A/N- I KNOW ITS BEEN FOREVER! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!_**

Jax strapped on his holster and smiled at Beth in the mirror as she lay in bed watching him. "So you're going on a charity run?" Beth asked him.

Jax walked over and kissed her deeply before sitting next to her. "How much do you want to know?"

Beth stared at him. The past two months, she had learned more about SAMCRO than the 6 months prior that she and Jax had been together.

"Enough." She said.

"We're going to defuse some shit with a club the Mayans are thinking about patching over. They've been giving the Grim Bastards shit, and it's time for it to stop."

"Alright." Beth said, quickly digesting the information.

"Sack's gonna be staying with you until all this is done, don't pull a Gemma, just let the poor kid do his job."

"That's no fun." She pouted.

Jax rolled his eyes and chuckled at her. "Be good." He said, kissing her forehead. His hand trailed down to her shoulder blade, where her dove tattoo was. "I think your bird needs some company."

"What did you have in mind?"

"A crow…" He said nonchalantly.

Beth grinned at him. From what Lyla and Gemma had told her, a crow was like… a promise ring. It was a big step. "Yeah, that would be ok."

"We can get Happy to do it when we get back ok?" Jax said, suddenly very excited.

"Yeah. Sounds good." She said, chuckling at his happy reaction.

"Be safe." He said, kissing her again.

"Be safe." She parroted, squeezing his hand.

**SOASOASOA**

Bethany finished locking up the shelter and laughed at Kip, who looked miserable sitting on his bike and smoking a cigarette. "You could've come in, played with the puppies." She said in an enticing tone.

"Jax said all business. Puppies aren't business."Half Sack said.

"But they're so cute." She teased.

Sack smirked at her, but she could tell he really wanted to go see the dogs; he always enjoyed spending time at the shelter. "Maybe you'll need help fixing a cage or something tomorrow?" He offered.

Beth smiled, "Yeah, I'm almost positive there's something that only a big bad biker could do."

They both narrowed their eyes at a red sedan that pulled into the parking lot, stopping at the opposite end of the lot, and Kip stood in front of Beth. He relaxed and took his hand off his gun when a young woman stepped out of the car and walked towards them.

"I'm sorry, I'm so turned around. Can one of you tell me how to get back to the highway?" The woman asked, looking exasperated.

Beth let out a breath, and gave the woman directions, feeling silly for being on edge.

The woman looked Beth over and smiled. "Don't I know you?"

Beth tried to place the girl, but couldn't remember seeing her anywhere.

"Yeah, aren't you Jax Teller's girl?" She said enthusiastically.

"Yes…" Beth said warily.

Before Beth or Kip could react the woman pulled out a gun, pointing it at Beth. Both put their hands up in reaction, their eyes widening. A Hispanic man stepped out of the car running up to them, also pointing a gun.

"Son of a bitch… Salazar." Kip said under his breath.

"Who?" Beth asked.

"Calaveras prez. He's supposed to be meeting with the Mayans and the Sons on the run right now."Kip told her quickly before Salazar reached them.

"What do you want to do baby?" The woman asked Salazar.

He looked at the two with their hands up in front of him. "Take them both. An old lady and a prospect will help our negotiations." He told her. "Get the girl." He told his old lady, who grabbed Beth roughly, jabbing the gun into Beth's back. "Hey punk, give me your piece." He growled at Half Sack, who pulled the gun out of its holster begrudgingly. He thought about taking a shot at Salazar, but there was no way he could without Beth getting hit by Salazar's old lady.

The two SAMCRO prisoners marched to the sedan, and Half Sack was shoved in the trunk, while Beth was blindfolded and pushed into the backseat.

**SOASOASOA**

Salazar drove all night to make it to his meeting with the Mayans and SAMCRO in the morning. He left the three men watching the 'bargaining chips' strict instructions not to get too rough, but have some fun, and not to get off with Teller's old lady. The last thing he needed was Teller on a rampage, if he decided to retaliate… well he couldn't imagine a piece of shit SAMCRO touching his girl. All he needed was for his club to patch over into the Mayans, and SAMCRO agreeing to letting them run H through Charming was the sure fire way to get it.

The meeting came quickly, far enough away from SAMCRO, Calaveras, and Mayan territory, so that no one had the upper hand. Clay, Jax, Tig, Bobby, Opie, and Happy sat with the higher ups from the other two clubs, waiting for someone to throw an idea on the table.

"Would getting a deal to run our product through Charming get the Calaveras a Mayan patch?" Salazar asked Alvarez.

"That's never going to happen." Clay interrupted.

"Would it?" Salazar insisted.

Alvarez thought for a minute, and nodded. "Yeah I suppose so."

"Can you give me a minute with the Charming boys then?" Salazar asked the Mayan president.

Alvarez narrowed his eyes, but nodded and took the Mayans out, leaving just SAMCRO and the Calaveras.

"What's your angle slug?" Jackson asked Salazar.

"A trade. Something that you really… really want, for our safe passage." Salazar.

"And what do you have that we would want?" Clay asked.

"Maybe some really good burritos?" Tig asked with a laugh.

"Nah, ese. Your old lady." He said, looking at Jackson.

Jax's eyes blackened and his mouth set into a thin line. "Excuse me?"

"Calm down Jax, Sack's watching her, he would've called." Bobby reassured him.

"Oh we have him too." Salazar's VP added.

"They're relatively fine. For now. Your club agrees to our deal, I tell my boys to take them back to Charming." Salazar said.

Jax looked about two steps away from his head exploding. "I want to talk to her."

"She's fine, gringo." A Calavera assured him.

"I WANT TO TALK TO HER!" he screamed.

"Fine, fine. Then we talk. And remember, no deal, no old lady, no prospect." Salazar said, pulling out his phone stepping away from the group and calling the house the hostages were being held.

"Salazar, man… this is bad."The voice on the other end said.

"What do you mean this is bad? It can't be bad! All you had to do was watch them!"Salazar hissed into the phone.

"We fucked up man… it's bad…"

_**A/N- IF YOU'RE STILL READING THIS, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW.**_


	12. Chapter 12

Beth and Half-Sack sat in the bare basement of the home they were being held in. It had been completely gutted, there was nothing that could be used as a weapon, no windows to escape from, even the loose parts from the toilet in the small bathroom were gone. The only addition was the door separating the basement from the staircase, so they couldn't even use the stairs against their captors. Half-Sack had several cuts and bruises from the journey down the stairs. Aside from the fingerprint shaped bruises on her arm, Bethany was no worse for wear. "Jax is gonna kill me." Half-Sack sighed, leaning his head against the wall he was sitting against.

"He's never going to let me go anywhere by myself again." Beth moaned softly.

"You don't understand" Kip said, looking at Beth. "He will literally kill me. He told me before he left 'anything happens to Beth, I'll kill you'."

"Jax isn't going to kill you, Kip." Beth told him. "I won't let him."

"Gee thanks." Half-Sack muttered, looking around.

"Do you think… I mean if they were going to hurt us, they would have done it by now… right?" Beth asked Half-Sack nervously.

Kip blew out a breath and told her in a slightly annoyed tone. "Nothing's going to happen to you. I won't let it."

Beth smiled at him softly before asking, "Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?"

"Shit no… I'm just… figuring this shit out. I think… I think in a couple hours when the Sons meet up with Salazar , they'll get what they want, and we'll get out of here." Half Sack told her, not so sure himself. He nodded at his statement and continued, "If they hurt us, killed us, they'd be starting a war that they would have no way of winning, they aren't that stupid."

"Yeah…" Beth said, not too sure, but wanting desperately to believe.

Hours passed, and the two sat on opposite ends of the room, facing each other, dozing off and on, when the door at the bottom of the stairs unlatched and three Calaveras put in charge of watching the 'bargaining chips' walked in with grins on their faces.

"We're bored." One of them said, pulling his gun out and aiming it at Half Sack when he started to stand. "No way, ese."

"So this is Jax Teller's old lady huh?" The Calavera that appeared to be in charge asked, standing in front of Beth. "I was expecting… blonder… "

"Bigger tits" another added in with a laugh.

"So where's your crow?" The leader asked Beth. "If your Teller's old lady, there's gotta be a crow on you… somewhere."

"I don't have a crow…" Beth said quietly, not meeting the leering gaze in front of her.

The Calaveras laughed. "You're lying to us, Princess. We don't like liars." He said, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her up. "Where's your fucking crow? It's a simple question." He spat through gritted teeth, inches from her face.

"I don't… I don't have one yet…" Beth insisted, trying to blink back her tears.

"Lying little bitch!" The leader screamed in her face.

"I'll find it for you." The one not pointing a gun at Half Sack snickered, grabbing Beth's waist and tugging at her jeans.

"IT'S ON HER GODDAMN SHOULDER!" Half-Sack yelled over Beth's protests. The Calaveras stopped and looked at her.

"See, was that so hard, gringa?"The leader asked her, ripping the back of her shirt open, exposing her dove tattoo. He looked at it questioningly. "Doesn't look like a fucking crow to me…"

"A bird's a bird, man." The one pointing his piece at Kip said over his shoulder.

"You were so determined to hide it… must be ashamed of it…" The leader cooed in her ear.

Beth trembled as he grabbed the switchblade from his pocket. "I didn't…" She whispered.

"I can take care of it for you… since you seem to hate it so much." He told her with a glint of malice in his eye.

His sidekick grabbed her and pushed her down to the floor, pinning her shoulders to the ground. The cold concrete felt like ice against her cheek, as the tears rolled down.

Beth screamed as she felt the blade, the pain of the long stroke through the center of her tattoo, and then another, the opposite diagonal. As the blade pressed down again, cutting through the center of the bleeding X, when Half-Sack jumped up tackling the Calavera holding a gun to him. They struggled, and the gun went off. Kip rolled off, laying on his back as a pool of blood formed around him from the hole in his chest.

"KIP!" Beth screamed, jumping up. The other two Calaveras were staring in shock, their one job was to keep the two alive, and they had failed. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, she ran to Kip, kneeling beside him, trying to put her hand over the hole in his chest to control the bleeding. She didn't notice the three Calaveras leave and go upstairs. Kip gasped for air, and put his hand on hers, shaking his head.

He knew that there was no way to save him, he had seen it the Marines… he had one minute… maybe two, before he bled out.

"Kip…" Beth said through her tears. "Please don't go."

He couldn't talk, but squeezed her hand, offering a soft twitch of his lips into a semblance of a smile.

Beth watched the light leave his eyes, and the last breath leave his lips. She sat there staring, feeling the blood steadily flowing down her back, but not caring. She closed Kip's eyes not wanting to see him staring lifelessly anymore, but continued to sit next to him, holding his hand.

It felt like hours before the Calaveras came back down, but judging from the fact that her wounds hadn't stopped bleeding, but she hadn't passed out or felt woozy, it had probably been less than an hour.

"Listen princess… tell your old man your ok, nothing else." The leader told her, shoving a cell phone into her hand.

"Jax?" Beth said, sucking in a breath and wiping her tears away, as if he could see her through the phone line.

"Beth… are you ok? What's going on?" Jax's worry came through the line as plain as day.

"I'm ok…" Beth said quietly, her shoulder throbbing in protest. "But Kip…"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the Calavera yanked the phone from her ear, slapping her with his free hand. The three men left her alone with her thoughts and the death in front of her.

**SOASOASOA**

Jax swore as he was hung up on.

"I told you she was OK, ese." Salazar said from across the room.

Jax ignored him and turned to the Sons instead. "She said something about Sack, assholes hung up before she could say anything."

Salazar flinched slightly, but none of the Sons noticed. Clay sighed, massaging his sore knuckles, they were supposed to be on their way back to Charming by now, not dealing with this unexpected bullshit.

"Alright, here's the deal, we aren't agreeing to shit until we get our prospect, and Jax's old lady. Let me send some guys to pick them up. As soon as they have them, you get your deal." Clay ordered Salazar.

Salazar thought quickly, everything was turning to shit, as soon as they got word their prospect was dead, he was dead. He needed a way out.

"Fine, but I gotta go meet them there; they know not to let anyone near the place without me." Salazar lied. He told Clay the address and ran out to his bike; heading the opposite direction of the house Beth and Half-Sack were being kept.

**SOASOASOA**

Beth was getting groggy, her shirt was sticky against her back but the bleeding had slowed. The blood from her shoulder had mixed with the pool of Kip's blood, so she didn't know how much she had lost. She heard yelling upstairs faintly, the Calaveras arguing with someone. She heard thundering footsteps coming down the stairs, but didn't have the energy or the desire to get up from her post next to Kip. The door was kicked open, and Juice, and Chibs flew through the door, stopping in the doorway to survey the scene in front of them.

As if on autopilot, Juice and Chibs swung around, putting bullets into the Calaveras standing at the top of the stairs, letting the one they missed, run out of the house.

"Holy shit." Chibs said softly. He walked over to Beth as if she was a wounded animal, pulling the fabric of her shirt from the wound it was sticking to. "Come on darling, we gotta get you patched up." Chibs said, trying to pull her up.

"No!" Beth insisted, shaking away from Chibs. "We can't leave him alone!"

"Beth… he's gone… we need to get you some stitches or something."Juice said quietly.

"We still can't just leave him here, by himself…" Beth insisted.

"Alright darling." Chibs said before turning to Juice. "Call the rest, we'll need help anyway. Go upstairs, get me anything I can use, towels, first aid kit… whatever."

After Juice ran upstairs, Chibs sat next to Beth. "You go to church?" Chibs asked softly.

"Not as much as I should." Beth admitted.

"Let's… pray." Chibs said, having trouble saying the word. He hadn't prayed in a long time, but if it would comfort her, he'd try.

_**A/N- DID YOU HATE IT? LIKE IT? LOVE IT? PLEASE LET ME KNOW!**_


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